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PEORIA, Ariz.  Anthony Bass has drawn a soft line in the sand.

“Eventually,” Bass said Sunday morning, clearly placing the emphasis on his first word, “I want to be a starting pitcher. I see myself as a starting pitcher.”

But the reality of Bass’s immediate role with the Padres became evident to the right-hander even before the team trekked to Arizona for the start of spring training.

During FanFest, Buddy Black took Bass aside at Petco Park and asked him one question with the caveat that it would be the only time this spring that the question would be offered.

“Anthony,” wondered the Padres skipper, “Would you rather be in the rotation at (Triple-A) Tucson or the bullpen in San Diego?”

It didn’t take Bass long to respond, although his preferred third option – being a starter in San Diego – was missing from the equation.

In a matter of speaking, the 25-year-old Bass is too versatile for his own good. It’s not that the Padres don’t see him as being a potential starter.

“Anthony is the only pitcher on our staff who can start, come out of the bullpen in long relief or pitch in the seventh or eighth inning in a key spot,” said Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley. “There is a lot of versatility there.”

So, don’t view Anthony Bass as one pitcher. Also, know that he has a spot on the Padres staff come opening day.

Balsley was asked to analyze Bass as both a starter and a reliever:

“As a starter,” said the pitching coach, “he has good fastball velocity (91-92) with average command. He has two solid secondary pitches in his slider and changeup.”

And as a reliever . . .

“I think it frees him up mentally to go after two or three outs rather than 21,” said Balsley. “There is a little more velocity to his fastball, 93-94, and his slider is sharper.”

Truth is, Balsley feels Bass can fill either role. Which is why Bass will open the 2013 season possibly filling both as a key member of the Padres bullpen and a spot starter if needed in an emergency.

“You just don’t see that kind of versatility in a lot of pitchers,” said Balsley. “And it helps that Anthony understands.”

“I care to a point,” said Bass when about how he is used. “Obviously, I want to pitch in San Diego. The long-term goal is to start. But I also appreciate that the Padres like what I can do. It’s definitely good to have versatility.”

In parts of two seasons with the Padres, Bass -- whose 2012 season lost two months to the disabled list due to a shoulder inflammation -- has made 18 starts and 33 relief appearances. Overall, he is 4-8 with a 3.72 earned run average in 145 1/3 innings.

But he has a 2.11 ERA as a reliever. As a starter, he is 4-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 98 1/3 innings, including a 2-7 mark with a 5.08 ERA in 15 starts last season. However, he had a 2.31 ERA over his first four starts and faded in June as his shoulder began to pain him.

When he returned in September he was back in the bullpen and picked up the first save of his career on Sept. 20.

“The biggest difference between starting and relieving is the mental preparation,” said Bass. “I like being on the five-day cycle. In the bullpen you have to be ready all the time. It helps to have some experience in the bullpen.”

Another thing that works in Bass’s favor as a reliever is the fact that it takes him only 10-15 pitches to warm up.

Bass began his career as the closer for short-season Single-A Eugene after being a fifth-round pick out of Wayne State University in 2008. He began starting the following season and didn’t work out of the bullpen again until he joined the Padres for the second time in 2011. He was 2-0 with a 1.68 ERA in 27 games (three starts) with the Padres in 2011.